Alex Lifeson Assures Rush Fans That the ‘R40′ Tour Was ‘Not the End of the Band’

Rush may be finished with long tours, but guitarist Alex Lifeson has made it clear that the band has no plans to retire anytime soon.

Lifeson looked back on the group's recently wrapped R40 Tour during a recent appearance on the Eddie Trunk Podcast, affirming that, as they've maintained all along, those dates represent the end of an era in terms of Rush's willingness to commit to lengthy road runs — but stressing that the band is still very much an active entity.

"Whatever this tour is, it's not the end of the band," explained Lifeson in the interview, which you can listen to below. "It's just ... kind of, reviewing where we're at in terms of major tours. And that's kind of what it is. We're not waving goodbye. We're waving 'see you later.'"

Lifeson has suggested residencies might be in Rush's future, and he echoed those sentiments again while speaking with Trunk — though he made it clear he isn't interested in seeing the band head to Vegas, saying it's "not the kind of environment" for them. "Ten shows at Madison Square Garden, well, that's a little different," he mused. "And you bring people in from all over the country. I'm not saying that's something we will do, but that is an option, or it is something that you could put together instead of doing a major tour, and bring people to the venue."

As for new music, Lifeson admitted there really isn't anything to talk about in terms of material that's already written or recorded, but he feels like a new album could come together relatively quickly if he and bassist Geddy Lee scheduled some time to work on songs — and he thinks that could happen soon.

"I wouldn't doubt that, in the fall, we would get together and maybe start jamming or just playing together," said Lifeson. "He's really in an interesting space right now. He loves being on the road, he loves working. He's very healthy, feels great, and he's had a bit of a renaissance, I think, with the whole idea of playing in the band and everything that it means. He's raring to go."